Tag: Combat methamphetamine epidemic act

In 2005, the federal Combat Methamphetamine Epidemic Act (CMEA) mandated that cold and allergy medicines containing pseudoephedrine be moved from store shelves to behind the pharmacy counter. This was a decisive action taken to combat the illicit production of methamphetamine, a highly addictive stimulant that uses pseudoephedrine as a key precursor chemical.

The answer to 'Can you still get real Sudafed?' is yes, but it requires a trip behind the pharmacy counter due to federal regulations.

In 2006, the Combat Methamphetamine Epidemic Act was signed into law, which fundamentally changed how consumers purchase cold and allergy medicines. Many people mistakenly believe **why was pseudoephedrine taken off the market**, but the reality is more nuanced; the medication was not removed but was heavily restricted due to its use in manufacturing illegal methamphetamine.

In 2022, sales of products containing phenylephrine generated nearly $1.8 billion [1.2.4]. The answer to 'What ingredient did they remove from Sudafed?' is pseudoephedrine, which was moved behind the counter due to its use in illicit methamphetamine production [1.3.2, 1.3.3].